It's hard enough shopping for clothes that fit you when you're average size. I'm a size 10 sometimes a 12 in Next but a 14 in Topshop and once had to buy a size 16 top in New Look because I have boobs.
Obese people are already ridiculed and bullied and I am sure the majority of them would rather be smaller but it becomes a cycle of abuse almost. They eat then get depressed about their size then go shopping try and find something to wear and can't, (inbetween the sniffy looks from sales people and other shoppers) then return hope even more depressed and eat more. If making larger sizes available gives them nicer clothing to feel better about themselves and helps their self esteem won't that lead to them being happier, moving about and getting out more and play a part in them losing weight?
I know about the shopping issues because my friend is a size 24 and unless she shops at Evans she can't find anything on the highstreet and has to shop on line.
that would be interesting for those of us with a foot in both camps.
at what dress size should this start?
what if a thin person wants to wear a sack?
I'm not sure i know enough about how womens dress sizes work to answer that but i'd say most people can tell the difference between a fat person and a sensibly sized person, so i'm sure clothes designers can figure it out.
As long as its not floral( ir made of brown paper) i'm not against thin people wearing sacks if they want.
I'm not sure i know enough about how womens dress sizes work to answer that but i'd say most people can tell the difference between a fat person and a sensibly sized person, so i'm sure clothes designers can figure it out.
As long as its not floral( ir made of brown paper) i'm not against thin people wearing sacks if they want.
slim women with huge knockers usually have to get outsize tops, a tall woman might be well set with no fat and need the same. not going to work is it?
i would like to ensure no one ever wears crimpolene again. i`m looking at YOU miss mary of sweden.
As a distinctly plus-sized person myself I have to say that I'm way more likely to eat better and exercise more if I'm feeling happy and good about myself. Feeling excluded from shops would make me miserable and would probably send me on a downward spiral.
Saying that, many shops do this already. Top Shop only go up to a 14 (maybe the odd 16?) and they are fairly small fitting. Any teenager with the slightest curves would struggle in there!
I've always struggled with clothes, at my biggest I was a 26. Up until recently everything for plus size people was either frumpy (in my opinion) or too expensive. (Evans and Inspire was pretty much the only option around here until New Look dropped Inspire in MK) It got to a point about 4-5 years ago where I basically wore the same black trousers and black top to work every day because I couldn't find anything I liked or could afford. Then I went through years of giving up and wearing whatever I could get, and I hated it. At one point I could honestly look in my wardrobe and only pick out one or two items I actually liked. Unsurprisingly I was unsuccessful at trying to lose weight during that time because I was miserable.
Now there are a few more options out there. I find Yours Clothing and Asos' Curve range good and I'm finally dressing as me rather than settling for what I can get. I feel good, I'm happier and consistently losing weight.
Why shouldn't someone over weight feel good about themselves? Maybe they plan to stay overweight for the rest of their lives, maybe they've just started losing weight, maybe they're already 2 stone lighter than their heaviest. They shouldn't be excluded from fashion just because they're a different shape.
There's a great quote from Tim Gunn, a fashion consultant:
“Have you seen most of the plus-size sections out there? It’s horrifying. Whoever’s designing for plus-size doesn’t get it. The entire garment needs to be reconceived. You can’t just take a size 8 and make it larger. In my travels, I’ve been an advocate for larger women. I’ve been talking to designers, but only a half-dozen make an effort. Most say, ‘I don’t want a woman who’s a size 10 or 11 wearing my clothes.’ Well, shame on you! It’s not realistic"
slim women with huge knockers usually have to get outsize tops, a tall woman might be well set with no fat and need the same. not going to work is it?
i would like to ensure no one ever wears crimpolene again. i`m looking at YOU miss mary of sweden.
As i said, I'm sure clothes designers can figure that out. I haven't been shopping with a woman in a while (thankfully) but i expect some shops still stop at less hefty sizes.
As i said, I'm sure clothes designers can figure that out. I haven't been shopping with a woman in a while (thankfully) but i expect some shops still stop at less hefty sizes.
Do you have to use the word "hefty", larger would have done. There's no need to degrade a bunch of women who already feel bad enough as it is.
It's not just women who have this issue, I suppose I am a plus sized and no clothes in normal high st stores such as Next, Topman etc will fit and I'm not that big.
I can't help but feel rather than falling over themselves to join in the spewing of hatred at this woman, some of the FMs should be more concerned with their weight.
One thing I will defend Jamelia over is her comments over the "normalization" of gross obesity (and gross is the word). It is this acceptance of obesity that is resulting in misery for thousands of people. We need to get back to where obese people should be ashamed of their weight not encouraging people with "you go girl!, long as your happy its all that counts, and you should accept yourself for who you are!".
I am not saying they should be ridiculed, but there should be pressure to make sure people with a weight "problem" are aware of how they look to others.
I can't help but feel rather than falling over themselves to join in the spewing of hatred at this woman, some of the FMs should be more concerned with their weight.
One thing I will defend Jamelia over is her comments over the "normalization" of gross obesity (and gross is the word). It is this acceptance of obesity that is resulting in misery for thousands of people. We need to get back to where obese people should be ashamed of their weight not encouraging people with "you go girl!, long as your happy its all that counts, and you should accept yourself for who you are!".
I am not saying they should be ridiculed, but there should be pressure to make sure people with a weight "problem" are aware of how they look to others.
They're fully aware of how they look. And being obese being obviously offensive to you perhaps you should just close your eyes everytime you see a fat person then your poor little sensibilities won't be offended.
I dont think she is really right in what she is saying but she probably just hasnt thought about it all that much. Raising peoples self-esteem is more likely to enable them to lose their weight imo. The message we shouldnt send is that being overweight is somehow healthy or desirable
Not everyone is overweight purely through self control issues. All sorts of problems can lead to weight gain. Mine was/is caused by medication that I have no choice but to take.
Exactly. I have a friend in a similar situation. She's obese and yes she eats a lot but she also has a mental illness which she has to take medication for and the medication is making her gain weight and I also suspect it makes her eat more. She's tried to lose weight by going to the gym and taking up swimming but it doesn't seem to do any good.
They're fully aware of how they look. And being obese being obviously offensive to you perhaps you should just close your eyes everytime you see a fat person then your poor little sensibilities won't be offended.
Just because you don't like to see something does not mean you are offended by it.
Exactly. I have a friend in a similar situation. She's obese and yes she eats a lot but she also has a mental illness which she has to take medication for and the medication is making her gain weight and I also suspect it makes her eat more. She's tried to lose weight by going to the gym and taking up swimming but it doesn't seem to do any good.
It takes time, a long time you dont see results immediately if someone is on medication but they can lose weight. What really is prohibitive to losing weight is immobility and illness
I am not saying they should be ridiculed, but there should be pressure to make sure people with a weight "problem" are aware of how they look to others.
Trust me, they know. They're reminded every time they can't find even a basic clothing item of clothing (I'm still struggling to find a decent plain black strap top that is longer than a crop top and covers up my boobs), they're reminded every time they sit on a seat made for a "normal" person, every time they go the doctors and are told they're over weight before they've even sat down, every time someone glares at them because they dare to eat something in public.
Also we shouldn't care how we look to others and I'm talking about everyone here, not just over weight people. Personally I care that I'm happy with how I look today and I don't care what anyone else thinks.
Only to someone who is bias enough to find fat people disgusting,simply because they are fat. Larger would have been much more appropriate.
I don't find fat people disgusting. I just think things that normalize it such as fashionable clothes and treating people with kid gloves by using vague words like "larger" is unhelpful and makes it sound like eating yourself to death is more acceptable than say, drinking or smoking yourself to death.
People will only lose weight when they are mentally willing to lose weight. I was obese at 14.5 stone and I knew I looked horrible. But I was stuck in a rut of eating when I felt crappy. Because I always felt crappy I ate. I went to the GP who said I was fat ...... try telling me something I don't know. But he didn't offer any positive advice.
Then one day I woke up in the right mind set and decided to do something about it.
Having other people, especially people who have never experienced the fear of clothes shopping when obese, telling you that you are a bad example is guaranteed to have me reaching for the biscuit tin.
Obesity is becoming normalised in our society, but not really for that reason. I don't think anyone has ever looked in the window of Evans (a well known plus size shop) and said 'wow, that dress looks great. I must put on a few stones so I can fit into it'. Most women who want to be fashionable and are really into clothes will aspire to be thin, because there will always be more choice, and most fashion is designed to look better on slim people.
Having said that, there is a big market for larger people,and the clothes industry would be mad to ignore that. Business is business.
I don't find fat people disgusting. I just think things that normalize it such as fashionable clothes and treating people with kid gloves by using vague words like "larger" is unhelpful and makes it sound like eating yourself to death is more acceptable than say, drinking or smoking yourself to death.
So when I see an alcoholic outside the pub drinking a beer and a shot at 11am stinking of booze and clearly already half cut I can say he's a dirty alkie and have no sympathy what so ever for how he might have got there as long as I don't have to look at him, sure. Because that's what you're doing to fat people, piling the guilt on and passing judgement.
Having spent pretty much most of my adult life suffering from anorexia nervosa - I think people should stop fat and thin bashing. I could go into detail about how weight makes me feel but I don't think anyone would care.
Suffice to say that for me personally, I can find beauty in people who are size 20, size 14, size whatever. Clothes should be available for everyone.
Saying that, many shops do this already. Top Shop only go up to a 14 (maybe the odd 16?) and they are fairly small fitting. Any teenager with the slightest curves would struggle in there!
Hiking shops are the worst. I am a size 18 - sometimes a 16 - and not in the obese range of BMI, but NO hiking clothes for women seem to be over a size 14. It is so depressing always having to buy men's clothes in their horrible and drab colours.
She said that outsize clothes should be available in specialist shops not in the High Street.
What in gods name has it got to do with her, what shops choose to sell? Can anyone honestly see a reason why a clothes shop should not try to appeal to the widest range of customers? I can't believe people actually want MORE fat shaming, in a world where fat people are already treated with such contempt.
Yes, some overweight people have medical issues that make them larger, but they are fewer and far between.
Why do you think that? It seems very common to me, when you add up all the medical and pharmaceutical factors. I think 'few and far between' is the kind of phrase people come up with when they would otherwise be embarrassed to name-call fat people.
Its a bit like supermarkets selling gigantic packs of junk food - it almost encourages people to be greedy and makes eating way too many calories and too much fat seem acceptable and ok.
I don't think it is similar at all. Portion size is a very realistic concern; there is a very obvious link between expanding portion sizes and expanding calorific intake. Fat people really do have to wear something, and only someone grossly judgmental would hope that they do not have access to attractive clothes and easy shopping. No one has ever lost weight because they suffer just the right amount of institutional ridicule and bullying.
One thing I will defend Jamelia over is her comments over the "normalization" of gross obesity (and gross is the word). It is this acceptance of obesity that is resulting in misery for thousands of people.
Against hot competition, the silliest comment so far. You really think that accepting people makes them miserable? Fat people really have become the last group it is socially acceptable to ridicule and bully. In fact I would say a key indicator of someone's personality is how far they give in to their natural inclination to bully and ridicule someone to make themselves feel better.
I am not saying they should be ridiculed, but there should be pressure to make sure people with a weight "problem" are aware of how they look to others.
You mean there should be a lot of admiring photographs of very thin people in the papers? Endless streams of 'how I lost all that horrible fat' articles? Entire magazines, many of them, devoted to nothing but printing horribly lit and dressed photographs of fat people, followed by beautifully lit, dressed and photoshopped pictures of them slim? A virtual ban on body fat in all high-budget tv programmes and films? Entire shops where no garment is as large as the average size? What a world that would be, eh?
Comments
Obese people are already ridiculed and bullied and I am sure the majority of them would rather be smaller but it becomes a cycle of abuse almost. They eat then get depressed about their size then go shopping try and find something to wear and can't, (inbetween the sniffy looks from sales people and other shoppers) then return hope even more depressed and eat more. If making larger sizes available gives them nicer clothing to feel better about themselves and helps their self esteem won't that lead to them being happier, moving about and getting out more and play a part in them losing weight?
I know about the shopping issues because my friend is a size 24 and unless she shops at Evans she can't find anything on the highstreet and has to shop on line.
I'm not sure i know enough about how womens dress sizes work to answer that but i'd say most people can tell the difference between a fat person and a sensibly sized person, so i'm sure clothes designers can figure it out.
As long as its not floral( ir made of brown paper) i'm not against thin people wearing sacks if they want.
slim women with huge knockers usually have to get outsize tops, a tall woman might be well set with no fat and need the same. not going to work is it?
i would like to ensure no one ever wears crimpolene again. i`m looking at YOU miss mary of sweden.
I've always struggled with clothes, at my biggest I was a 26. Up until recently everything for plus size people was either frumpy (in my opinion) or too expensive. (Evans and Inspire was pretty much the only option around here until New Look dropped Inspire in MK) It got to a point about 4-5 years ago where I basically wore the same black trousers and black top to work every day because I couldn't find anything I liked or could afford. Then I went through years of giving up and wearing whatever I could get, and I hated it. At one point I could honestly look in my wardrobe and only pick out one or two items I actually liked. Unsurprisingly I was unsuccessful at trying to lose weight during that time because I was miserable.
Now there are a few more options out there. I find Yours Clothing and Asos' Curve range good and I'm finally dressing as me rather than settling for what I can get. I feel good, I'm happier and consistently losing weight.
Why shouldn't someone over weight feel good about themselves? Maybe they plan to stay overweight for the rest of their lives, maybe they've just started losing weight, maybe they're already 2 stone lighter than their heaviest. They shouldn't be excluded from fashion just because they're a different shape.
There's a great quote from Tim Gunn, a fashion consultant:
“Have you seen most of the plus-size sections out there? It’s horrifying. Whoever’s designing for plus-size doesn’t get it. The entire garment needs to be reconceived. You can’t just take a size 8 and make it larger. In my travels, I’ve been an advocate for larger women. I’ve been talking to designers, but only a half-dozen make an effort. Most say, ‘I don’t want a woman who’s a size 10 or 11 wearing my clothes.’ Well, shame on you! It’s not realistic"
As i said, I'm sure clothes designers can figure that out. I haven't been shopping with a woman in a while (thankfully) but i expect some shops still stop at less hefty sizes.
Do you have to use the word "hefty", larger would have done. There's no need to degrade a bunch of women who already feel bad enough as it is.
One thing I will defend Jamelia over is her comments over the "normalization" of gross obesity (and gross is the word). It is this acceptance of obesity that is resulting in misery for thousands of people. We need to get back to where obese people should be ashamed of their weight not encouraging people with "you go girl!, long as your happy its all that counts, and you should accept yourself for who you are!".
I am not saying they should be ridiculed, but there should be pressure to make sure people with a weight "problem" are aware of how they look to others.
They're fully aware of how they look. And being obese being obviously offensive to you perhaps you should just close your eyes everytime you see a fat person then your poor little sensibilities won't be offended.
Hefty is more descriptive.
Exactly. I have a friend in a similar situation. She's obese and yes she eats a lot but she also has a mental illness which she has to take medication for and the medication is making her gain weight and I also suspect it makes her eat more. She's tried to lose weight by going to the gym and taking up swimming but it doesn't seem to do any good.
Just because you don't like to see something does not mean you are offended by it.
I feel pity for the obese.
It takes time, a long time you dont see results immediately if someone is on medication but they can lose weight. What really is prohibitive to losing weight is immobility and illness
Only to someone who is bias enough to find fat people disgusting,simply because they are fat. Larger would have been much more appropriate.
Trust me, they know. They're reminded every time they can't find even a basic clothing item of clothing (I'm still struggling to find a decent plain black strap top that is longer than a crop top and covers up my boobs), they're reminded every time they sit on a seat made for a "normal" person, every time they go the doctors and are told they're over weight before they've even sat down, every time someone glares at them because they dare to eat something in public.
Also we shouldn't care how we look to others and I'm talking about everyone here, not just over weight people. Personally I care that I'm happy with how I look today and I don't care what anyone else thinks.
Just in case you ever see me in passing, I don't want or need your pity thanks.
I don't find fat people disgusting. I just think things that normalize it such as fashionable clothes and treating people with kid gloves by using vague words like "larger" is unhelpful and makes it sound like eating yourself to death is more acceptable than say, drinking or smoking yourself to death.
Then one day I woke up in the right mind set and decided to do something about it.
Having other people, especially people who have never experienced the fear of clothes shopping when obese, telling you that you are a bad example is guaranteed to have me reaching for the biscuit tin.
But they don't want or need your pity. Yeah great for you, you are your perfect weight and they are fat but it doesn't mean they want your pity.
Having said that, there is a big market for larger people,and the clothes industry would be mad to ignore that. Business is business.
So when I see an alcoholic outside the pub drinking a beer and a shot at 11am stinking of booze and clearly already half cut I can say he's a dirty alkie and have no sympathy what so ever for how he might have got there as long as I don't have to look at him, sure. Because that's what you're doing to fat people, piling the guilt on and passing judgement.
Suffice to say that for me personally, I can find beauty in people who are size 20, size 14, size whatever. Clothes should be available for everyone.
Why do you think that? It seems very common to me, when you add up all the medical and pharmaceutical factors. I think 'few and far between' is the kind of phrase people come up with when they would otherwise be embarrassed to name-call fat people.
I don't think it is similar at all. Portion size is a very realistic concern; there is a very obvious link between expanding portion sizes and expanding calorific intake. Fat people really do have to wear something, and only someone grossly judgmental would hope that they do not have access to attractive clothes and easy shopping. No one has ever lost weight because they suffer just the right amount of institutional ridicule and bullying.
Against hot competition, the silliest comment so far. You really think that accepting people makes them miserable? Fat people really have become the last group it is socially acceptable to ridicule and bully. In fact I would say a key indicator of someone's personality is how far they give in to their natural inclination to bully and ridicule someone to make themselves feel better.
You mean there should be a lot of admiring photographs of very thin people in the papers? Endless streams of 'how I lost all that horrible fat' articles? Entire magazines, many of them, devoted to nothing but printing horribly lit and dressed photographs of fat people, followed by beautifully lit, dressed and photoshopped pictures of them slim? A virtual ban on body fat in all high-budget tv programmes and films? Entire shops where no garment is as large as the average size? What a world that would be, eh?